Improvement in torpedoes for blasting purposes



L. G. PEEK G. .I. MGKANNA. Torpedoes for Blasting Purposes.

No. 146,612, PatentedJan.20.1874-.

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AM PHOTO-LITHMRAFll/G 00. IV. X (Mao/ms: Mums} UNITED STATES PATENT Grrron LOREX G. IECK, OF ROUSEVILLE, AND JOHN MGKANNA, OF TIDIOUTE, PA.

IMPROVEMENT IN TORPEDOES FOR BLASTING PURPOSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 146,612, dated January 20,1874; application filed August 21, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LOREN Gr. PEOK and JonN MCKANNA, of Rouseville and Tidioute, respectively, in the counties of Venango and Warren, respectively, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Torpedoes; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in the construction of torpedoes for oil-wells, and the method of exploding the same at any desired point in said wells, and consists as follows:

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a section of an oil-well, showing our invention in operation, and Fig. 2 a longitudinal section of a torpedo after our invention.

()ur invention has for its object the certainty of an explosion of the torpedo.

We are aware that torpedoes have heretofore been exploded by means of electricity and concussion, or percussion singly; but we are not aware that any torpedo has been adapted to the use of all these means combined, so that should anything prevent the action of one agency another would insure the explosion in the same torpedo.

A represents the shell of a torpedo; B, an opening through the same for the passage of the insulated wire C. D represents caps, cartridges, or equivalent device for explosion by percussion. E represents projectin g wires for the passage of electricity. 1* is a plate or hammer head, of metal, suspended from the opening of the well G by means of the insulated wire C to the desired point of explosion. The hammer-head F is connected to the botl tom weight or anchor H by the string I, for purposes hereinafter set forth. K is an electric battery.

The operation is as follows: The point of explosion is first determined and its distance from the bottom of the well measured. A cord whose length corresponds to this measure ment is then fastened, one end to the bottom weight or anchor H, which may be a sand-bag or any suitable substitute, and the other to the hammer-head F. When the anchor H is at the bottom of the well and the hammerhead, suspended by the insulated wire O, is drawn up so as to tighten the cord I, said hammer-head will be brought opposite the desired'point of explosion. The torpedo A is now strung upon the wire 0 and the wire connected with the battery, after which the torpedo is dropped into the well and is prevented, by the guidingwire C, from striking the sides of the well in its descent.

If nothing breaks the fall of the torpedo it is exploded by the agencies of electricity, percussion, and concussion combined but if its fall should be so broken that its blow upon the hammer-head F would be insufficient to produce explosion by percussion or concussion, then its mere connection with the plate or hammer-head I charged with electricity from the battery K, is sufiicient to cause explosion.

We claim as our invention- A torpedo in which is combined the means of explosion by electricity, concussion, and percussion, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our 11 ands this 19th day of 

